For some field operations such as spraying, agricultural equipment is required to be driven and towed through crop fields.
Crop damage can occur when this agricultural equipment is driven or towed through the crop fields. The damage can occur from crops becoming caught in or otherwise damaged by the wheel hub of the agricultural equipment. This crop damage reduces the ultimate yield of the crop, thereby reducing the total profits obtained by the farmer. It is therefore important to minimize this damage to maximize crop yield and profits.
While there are techniques and inventions that address the problem of crop damage caused by agricultural equipment, there are certain drawbacks to the prior art that the present invention seeks to overcome.
One such existing technique is to install crop dividers onto the tire or onto the agricultural equipment directly. A crop divider is a V-shaped device that extends in front of the wheel of the agricultural equipment and is used to deflect crops to either side of a line of travel to allow passage along the line of travel while minimizing crop damage. Although crop dividers can help reduce the crop damage caused by the wheels of agricultural equipment pushing crop into the ground, they can be bulky and can cause crop damage when turning. Additionally, plants can become caught in the crop dividers while driving through rows of crop, causing further crop damage. Further, they are expensive pieces of equipment that are labour intensive to install. All of the above factors can result in crop yields and profits that are not maximized to their potentials.
In addition to the damage that can be caused to the crops by the agricultural equipment, the crops can cause damage to the agricultural equipment as it is driven and towed through the crops. For instance, corn stalks can contain tar and other chemicals that may corrode the wheel hubs and the paint on the wheel hubs. Maintenance to remedy this type of damage is expensive for the owner of the equipment.
These limitations and drawbacks of the existing prior art solutions to crop damage caused by agricultural equipment suggest a need for a device that is inexpensive, easy to install, and that will reduce damage caused to and by agricultural equipment and machinery. As such, the present invention seeks to overcome the drawbacks and shortcomings of the prior art.